Season six of Below Deck Mediterranean will be airing on June 28 on Bravo with the addition of Chef Mathew Shea. Last season, Chef Hindrigo "Kiko" Lorran was the head of the galley until his disastrous Vegas night that consisted of several fried foods, which the guests found a bit odd for a yacht chef. Captain Sandy decided Kiko was not the right fit for The Wellington and hired Malia White's boyfriend at the time, Tom Checketts. Now, Captain Sandy has Chef Mathew on board the Lady Michelle, and viewers can't wait to see how their working relationship pans out.
On May 27, Bravo dropped the trailer for season six of the reality series. After a tumultuous season five with the firing of long-time chief stew Hannah Ferrier and the backlash Malia received for betraying her cabin mate, viewers are hoping to watch a much more upbeat season. This year, the Below Deck Med crew is heading back to Croatia, where both Captain Sandy and Malia filmed season two, though they haven't returned until now.
According to Mathew's bio on BravoTV, the new chef was born and raised in Rhode Island, a popular sailing hub in the United States. By the age of 12, Mathew already knew his career path and decided he wanted to be a chef. His mother, who ran a macrobiotic cooking school in the 1980s, helped Mathew cultivate his passion for fine cuisine and food preparation at a very young age. The chef embarked on his first experience in a galley when he went on tour with Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organization, and was hired as an assistant to a classically-trained French Chef who later became his mentor.
While working with Greenpeace and traveling across the ocean from different ports, Mathew realized he could pursue a career in the yachting industry while continuing to cook and travel. He has traveled to some impressive destinations for work, such as Turks and Caicos, French Polynesia, Antigua, and Croatia, according to his Instagram page. Besides the fabulous destinations he has been to, Mathew has also had some celebrity clientele. Some of those clients include Hugh Jackman, Rupert Murdoch, and more. However, this may not come as a surprise to those who know Chef Mathew's food, as he has cooked for an extensive list of the wealthiest people in the world.
For season six of Below Deck Med, Mathew will bring a new experience and passion to the galley that hasn't been shown on seasons prior. Not only will he take on a number of demanding charter guests, but unexpected challenges will also come his way. Maybe Chef Mathew will have the same staying power as Chef Ben Robinson and will stick around for season seven.
Sources: BravoTV, Mathew Shea/ Instagram